Garden of Finzi Continis

This reviewer still considers "The Bicycle Thief" to be the greatest
film ever made, and the fact that its director Vittorio De Sica is also
responsible for "Shoeshine" and "Miracle in Milan" should be more than
enough reason for any serious film-lover to see his 2nd to last film,
"THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS". As with all of De Sica's films, he
finds beauty in the simplest of images, and the simplest of settings.
The fact that the main characters in "THE GARDEN OF THE FINZI-CONTINIS"
are wealthy, and live in luxurious surroundings is juxtaposed with the
fact that their appreciation of a bike ride outweighs all things
material. Whether rich or poor, the audience, like the characters
themselves, can all relate to the certain truths and simple pleasures
found in the beauty of roaming "free". In DeSica's films, the audience
typically sees the impending doom facing characters long before they do.
This makes their own, inevitable realizations that much more poignant,
as we've grown to take their sorrows on ourselves as personal losses and
tragedies. In a way, De Sica "is"saying that a crime against another is
a crime against ourselves. The horrors of facism are brought to life
throughout the film. Even though the wealthy family depicted in the
film depicts, seems unabated by what's going on just outside the gated
yards of their manor home, it's only temporary. They're simply trying
to "feel" secure by not confronting their worst fears. After all, how
does one confront the unimaginable? The family matriarch actually tries
to do just this, with a saddening attempt to maintain her composure and
elegance near the film's ending.

COLUMBIA TRISTAR has preserved the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio
with 16:9 enhancement. De Sica is intentionally going for a soft lens
look here, so the degree of sharpness is inherently limited. Colors
look balanced and natural, although they're never bold or vibrant, again
by intention. Contrast is fine, but the depth of blacks and grays is
limited by the film's design.

The film's soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 with the
original Italian stereo mix. There's no separation other than with
regards to the musical score. Dialogue is always intelligible and free
of distortion.